Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
september 2014 / the tasting panel / 1 19 says Woodbridge, adding that the grapes there enjoy extended hang-time, which then translates to the kind of acid structure he looks for in a wine of his creation. The Pinot is aged in three-year-old French oak, with a small portion of new oak, and the barrels are recycled from their Hundred Acre and Cherry Pie program— which lends a complex depth of character. Coming off the successes of Cherry Pie Pinot, Radomski and Woodbridge were looking to provide a $40 experience at a $20 price-point. That's when "we decided to create a sister wine in Cherry Tart," explains Radomski. "The first vintage of Cherry Tart, the 2012 Pinot, sold out and displaced some of the old guards in this price point." And as Woodbridge explains, Cherry Tart is all about the experience: "Of all the wines in human history, this is the one found strapped to Harleys the most," he laughs. The 2013 Cherry Tart Pinot and Chardonnay are being released to what Radomski calls "a very warm welcome." and Cherry Tart Chardonnay, produced from distinct vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Monterey and which was bottled in late July. "My grandmother made these tarts," says Woodbridge, but only once a year with Rainier cher- ries, and they were "heavenly." The label pays homage to the memory of those tarts and the cherries repre- sent the wines: red for Cherry Tart, a muscular Pinot of dark cherry, burnt toffee and spice character; and golden cherries for the Chardonnay, a light golden wine, round and rich, offering toasty baking spice and lemon notes. Woodbridge's business partner Chris Radomski is particularly excited about the feedback on their Cherry Tart Pinot and because of the veritable "wow factor" it inspires among friends, consumers and buyers. "It's exciting to showcase a wine that receives such great universal acceptance. People call and say, 'I know it's allocated—can I get more?'" The Pinot Noir grapes sourced for Cherry Tart come from three vineyards in different AVAs in California. Grapes from Sonoma AVA hail from a vineyard that has well-drained volcanic soils situated on a low ridge in the Petaluma Gap. These grapes contribute "incredible power" to the wine says Woodbridge. Further south, in the Monterey AVA, the vineyard source is planted on gravelly loam soils, facing east-northeast—a much cooler growing site. The grapes from here lend a lot of mineral components. The remaining grapes are from the Santa Barbara County AVA and a vineyard that's "basically in a canyon that has a direct path to the Pacific Ocean, with sandy soils and cool breezes," Cherry Tart by the Slice Miguel Rodriguez-Vidal, General Manager of Oak Grill and Aqua Lounge at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA, praises Cherry Tart Pinot Noir as an excep- tional mid-range, by-the-glass wine that over-delivers. "I love this wine because it's so complex, but really approachable and feels like you're drinking a much more expensive Pinot Noir. And our restaurant is a true California restaurant. Our chef, Mark Johnson, makes a tuna tartare with Indian spice that pairs perfectly with Cherry Tart." With a menu that boasts 50 wines by the glass, Rodriguez-Vidal is thrilled to have another Jayson Woodbridge wine that, for him and his clientele offers yet another "home run." Miguel Rodriguez-Vidal says Cherry Tart Pinot "over-delivers." PHOTO: CAL BINGHAM PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERRY TART Chris Radomski, partner in Cherry Tart, sees the new label being greeted with "universal acceptance."